The Henson Journals

[107]

Tuesday, August 16th, 1921.

After breakfast Gamble read through the Preface and expressed his substantial agreement with it. He thought it very interesting. On the whole, perhaps, I had best send it on to Macmillan without further tinkering.

I attended Mattins (plain) in the cathedral, and then made an inspection of the building, accompanied by the Dean, and the author of the cathedral guide–book, a clergyman named Bishop, once a diocesan missioner, but now more usefully engaged in elucidating the marvels of a medieval building. It is a far more magnificent & interesting church than I had supposed. Gamble shewed me also the Palace, which is now used as some kind of a hospital, since the present Bishop refuses to live in it, although it appears to be a very suitable episcopal residence, and contains the portraits of a long line of his predecessors who have lived in it. Moreover, his decision is said to be resented by the Devonians. In the library I saw, and handled, the Exeter Domesday Book, and a precious volume presented to the church by Bishop Leofric. After lunch we all motored to a garden party some miles in the country. The rain spoiled the function. On our return I went to the post office, and there registered and despatched the Preface. I wrote to Fawkes, from whom I received an interesting and characteristic sermon entitled "Our partners in the other ship" destined to appear in a future issue of "The Modern Churchman".

[108) [symbol]

There was an agreeable party at dinner. The guests were the following – Marcus Atlay, Sir Henry Duke & his daughter, & Mr & Mrs Cunningham. During dinner I did not get beyond the frivolous commonplace which serves for conversation in "Society", but, when the ladies had withdrawn, I got into talk with Sir H. Duke which was sufficiently interesting to last out the evening. We talked on the two subjects, with respect to which he could speak with a measure of authority – Divorce and Ireland. As to the first, he professed himself an optimist. The portentous increase in divorces was so plainly connected with the monstrous conditions created by the war that no inference unfavourable to the general morality could be rightly made from it. He was opposed to including desertion in the list of causes for which divorce might be granted, not on grounds of principle, but of expediency. I was relieved to hear this, as I had been informed that he was an "Anglo– Catholick", and, indeed he brought Marcus Atlay with him. He spoke rather scornfully of the "National Assembly", "So far as I can see", "all the business is in the hands of Selborne, Salisbury, Phillimore, & Parmoor: none of whom would count for anything on a plebiscite". He spoke rather despondingly about Ireland. De Valera he thinks to be a sincere but impracticable visionary. "We never got nearer than 1798" was Sir James Craig's summary of his discussion with the Sinn Fein leader.

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